Wolves Whip The Knicks

Before we dig into the details and main takeaways from last night, let's zoom out for a second and look back at the first 14 games of the 2023-24 campaign.

Final Score: Knicks 100 - Wolves 117
Record: 8-6

The Knicks loss to the Timberwolves in Minnesota on Monday night wasn't shocking. The Wolves have won nine of their past ten games and own the best record in the West at 10-3. They are now 6-0 at home, which ties the best start to a season in franchise history. 

They are a very good team. And New York hung close, despite a cold shooting night and this being the final game of a five-game road trip (and their sixth game in nine days). The Knicks were down just two points at halftime before Minny dropped the hammer down in the third quarter and put the Knicks away.  

Before we dig into the details and main takeaways from this contest, let's zoom out for a second and look back at the first 14 games of the 2023-24 campaign. 

The way I see it, there are a number of different ways to access the first month of the season, depending on whether you prefer to view the glass as half empty or half full. There are several reasons to be optimistic but plenty of concerning trends as well. 

* Encouraging: As we've talked about often over the past few weeks, the Knicks faced a brutal schedule to start the season. Of the 14 games they've played thus far, nine of them have been on the road. They've also already had three pairs of back-to-backs. I think many Knicks probably would have signed for a 7-7 record up to this point, so for New York to be two games above .500 is respectable. 

* Discouraging: That said, it's not as though New York has a duck walk the rest of the way. Their two games remaining this week are against the red-hot Heat (who have won eight of their last nine) and the Suns. The Knicks still have four games left vs. the Sixers, three more matchups with Milwaukee, and two games left against the Celtics and Nuggets. According to Tankathon, New York has the 13th toughest remaining strength of schedule.